Steve Shields sat inside Porter Moser’s office waiting for the Arkansas-Little Rock head coach to share some intriguing news.
Following an 18-11 season with the Trojans in 2001-02, the second 18-win season of his career, Moser was on the rise in his coaching career. Yet, he had little idea he’d be in the conversation for a vacancy just three hours up the road.
Then-Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles phoned Moser inviting him to interview for the head coaching spot with the Razorbacks, held by the legendary Nolan Richardson since 1985 after he was bought out. Alongside Moser, then-Illinois coach Bill Self — now a Big 12 conference rival at Kansas — and Kent State’s Stan Heath were notable candidates.
Shields, Moser’s assistant coach, learned that day in his office of the interview, and believed Moser’s “infectious and contagious” enthusiasm could land him a job anywhere, including Arkansas, which was a historic, national championship-winning program (1994) in the Southeastern Conference.
“The Razorbacks are everything here,” said Shields, who still lives in Little Rock. “To interview a coach from UALR is pretty unheard of. I wouldn’t have been surprised at all if Porter had gotten the job. I know I can imagine how he interviews with his enthusiasm and knowledge and excitement immediately. Anytime you're thinking about new jobs, you want somebody who's going to build that enthusiasm.”
Moser’s Sooners’ (6-2) will face No. 9 Arkansas (7-1) at noon on Saturday, Dec. 10, in Tulsa, pitting OU’s coach against the program he once interviewed with for the second consecutive season. Last season, Moser’s squad defeated the then-No. 12 Razorbacks 88-66 at the BOK Center in the first matchup of the Crimson & Cardinal Classic.
Looking back, Moser remembers his time in the state of Arkansas not for a missed shot with the Razorbacks, but mainly for his success at UALR, the start of his family and the path that provided his present opportunity at Oklahoma.
“It was just a (job) that I didn’t get,” Moser said. “When I think of Arkansas, in the past, I think of the three great years I had at Little Rock, being the head coach of UALR, having my two great kids there and having my first head coach job. That’s what I remember when I think of Arkansas, not that interview.”
Freshman guard Milos Uzan and OU men's basketball head coach Porter Moser during the game against Kansas City on Dec. 6.
Once a week, Moser would host a breakfast club called “Breakfasts With Porter,” at 6:30 a.m. with boosters of the UALR program at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock.
He and Shields provided updates on recruiting, the program, and most importantly, lobbied to increase the Trojans’ recruiting budget.
The breakfasts were Moser’s chance to swoon contributors. Arkansas business moguls Joe Ford, the founder of Alltel Wireless telecommunications company, and Warren Stephens, who now has a net worth of $3.2 billion and owns the largest Wall Street brokerage firm in the United States, were faithful attendees.
They often gave him and his staff free flights for recruiting visits on private jets they nicknamed “the Trojan air force.” Shields thinks Ford and Stephens would’ve even encouraged Moser in trying to land the Razorbacks job.
“It’s a good job, but it’s a tough job,” Shields said of UALR. “He started the breakfast club right when he got the job. You know how people are, sports people that are in the business world, they gravitate towards stuff like that, so they can be hands-on and know the coach. … He did that on his own, and it just grew from there.”
Alongside the weekly breakfast club, Moser regularly hosted luncheons and other events to build on his success. The Trojans had a tip-off event, similar to the dinner Oklahoma hosted at the Lloyd Noble Center earlier this year, to engage with the program’s fans and stakeholders.
Moser’s energy was “unmatched” when it came to building the UALR program, according to Shields. As the youngest NCAA Division I coach in the nation, he notched a 36-23 record with the Trojans in two seasons.
His enthusiasm caught the attention of Broyles in March 2002, when the Razorbacks had a vacancy after Richardson was bought out. While Moser was building the Trojans in the Sun Belt conference, Shields knew Moser’s talents were better suited to a bigger program.
Moser was fired up for the potential opportunity and felt great following the interview with Broyles. After Moser informed the Little Rock staff and players of the situation, they were on pins and needles awaiting Broyles’ decision.
OU men's basketball head coach Porter Moser during the game against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 15.
Forward Jake Yancey, one of Moser’s captains, was pulled aside by his head coach in the weight room and told if Moser was hired at Arkansas, he’d be first to know. The head coach informed Yancey that nothing was imminent, though, and asked the junior to help keep levity in the locker room.
“I think that was kind of a good match at the time,” Yancey said. “I don't really know why they didn't go with him, but it was one of those things where success breeds opportunity, and I couldn't blame him for looking into that opportunity. I mean, he had earned it himself.”
In the next three fateful and anxiety-filled days, Broyles announced Heath as Richardson’s successor, becoming the Razorbacks’ 10th head coach on March 28, 2002. While Moser was briefly disappointed he wasn’t selected, the interview with a major SEC program was a stepping stone for his future success.
After another successful 18-12 season with the Trojans in 2002-03, Moser was hired to become the head coach at Illinois State. Moving to his home state with his wife, Megan, and two children, Jake and Jordan, was a dream scenario.
While Moser’s success stalled with the Redbirds to a 51-67 record in five seasons, Moser later became the head coach at Loyola-Chicago and now Oklahoma, climbing the ladder of success laid at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Moser’s work at a mid-major program that was 4-24 just one year before his first season and had limited resources, was affirmation that he had what it took to find success at a larger job.
“That interview stamped validation on what he accomplished in two quick years,” Shields said, “That's the thing that so many people don't realize, when you talk about winning a team game at a mid-major school where you're not where you don't buy games, that's hard to do.
“When we're talking back 10, 15, 20 years ago, programs were buying more games, buying winners. You can't do that at UALR. It was just a stamp of validation.”
For Moser, the missed opportunity at Arkansas is just a blip on his radar now. He’s relishing his opportunities at Oklahoma and preparing to move to the SEC — the conference he almost reached with Arkansas — in 2025.
“I don’t even really think about it,” Moser said. “It was one day 20 years ago. I was happily the coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, and I really enjoyed the people. ... At the time, the legendary Frank Broyles brought me in for an interview, and I didn’t get the job. God had a plan, and I don’t even really think about it now.”
